Review: Ditched by Robin Mellom

Ditched: A Love Story by Robin Mellom 

High school senior Justina Griffith was never the girl who dreamed of going to prom. Designer dresses and strappy heels? Not her thing. So she never expected her best friend, Ian Clark, to ask her.
Ian, who always passed her the baseball bat handle first.
Ian, who knew exactly when she needed red licorice.
Ian, who promised her the most amazing night at prom.
And then ditched her.
Now, as the sun rises over her small town, and with only the help of some opinionated ladies at the 7-Eleven, Justina must piece together — stain by stain on her thrift-store dress — exactly how she ended up dateless. A three-legged Chihuahua was involved. Along with a demolition derby-ready Cadillac. And there was that incident at the tattoo parlor. Plus the flying leap from Brian Sontag's moving car...
But to get the whole story, Justina will have to face the boy who ditched her. And discover if losing out at prom can ultimately lead to true love.
Filled with humor, charm, and romance, Ditched: A Love Story by debut novelist Robin Mellom will have readers dreaming of love on their own prom nights.

Review: 

I have heard mixed reviews about Ditched, but I had high hopes for this debut! While it wasn't as fantastic as I would have hoped, I did enjoy Ditched quite a bit and was able to finish it in just a few hours. The way the book was told was my favorite part. I loved how it alternated between the past and the present and how Justina was telling the story. Some people have complained about this aspect of the novel, but I think it worked perfectly and made me enjoy it that much more. Ditched is an utterly sweet and romantic read that is perfect for any teenager, male or female.

Justina's prom does not go the way she expected. Actually, it probably doesn't go the way anyone expected. After her best friend Ian asks her, Justina decides this is going to be the night she tells him how she really feels. Until she wakes up in a ditch and finds herself recounting her story to a pair of ladies in a local 7-Eleven and piecing everything together while she talks. One thing is for sure, anyone who reads this will never look at prom the same way again!

This was certainly a love story, and I especially adored that aspect of the book. I only wish we could have gotten more of Ian! He was such a sweet and truly nice guy, which made him an absolute winner in my book! I felt for Justina as she tried to figure out what was really going on between the two of them. I also couldn't believe how insane her prom was, although at times unbelievable, I enjoyed the ride nonetheless! 

Justina is an intriguing character. She doesn't seem like someone I would befriend in real life, yet I somehow connected with her over the course of the story. Her personality was infectious and I really liked her sarcasm and independence. The other characters, especially the Mikes and Serenity, were great. Justina met a variety of people over the course of a few hours and each of them impacted her in some way.

Robin Mellom has written an entertaining and fun story that is the perfect read for a rainy afternoon. The unique way Ditched was told made me like it even more and it was an adventure watching Justina piece together her night and to see how everything came together in the end. Some parts were a tad predictable, but I still found myself smiling at the end. If you're a fan of contemporary YA, this is certainly not one to miss. I'm looking forward to seeing what Robin writes next!

Overall: 4 out of 5 stars

January 10, 2012/Disney-Hyperion/288 Pages/Young Adult

Source: Publisher (ARC)